Codrin Dura

Codrin Dura, 27, residing on Ripon Street, Gateshead, was found guilty in a landmark grooming gang trial at Newcastle Crown Court on 14 October 2024. The Romanian national was convicted of four counts of rape, four counts of sexual activity with a child, blackmail, attempted rape, serious sexual assault, supplying a Class A drug, and arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence. These charges stem from the exploitation of six teenage girls aged 13 to 16 between 2014 and 2019 in the Bensham area of Gateshead.

The Northumbria Police probe uncovered a systematic operation where the gang, including Dura, used drugs and alcohol to groom and control vulnerable victims, leading to repeated sexual abuse. What often began as seemingly consensual relationships escalated into group exploitation, with victims passed between perpetrators.

• Key elements of the case included evidence of drug supply to incapacitate victims and facilitation of child sex offences.

Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Barr praised the investigative efforts: 'This has been a complex investigation which has taken time and support will continue to be available to them.' The Crown Prosecution Service, through Charlotte Dennison, detailed the impact: 'For some of the victims, what began as a relationship with one person descended into them being passed between group members, where they were routinely abused while heavily intoxicated.'

The trial, lasting eight weeks, resulted in convictions for five men, with a sixth acquitted. Sentencing details for Dura remain pending a later court date.